It is recognized that the location of gunfire is discernible with, for example, triangulation systems which incorporate acoustic sensing equipment. Such known systems are stationary and may be installed in large outdoor environments to improve public safety by providing rapid notifications which alert officials of a gun fire incident in a determined location. U.S. Pat. No. 7,855,935 discloses identification of mobile communications devices within a specified range of distance from a determined location of a gun firing. Identification may be followed by communication with such devices in order to acquire information relating to the incident with potentially knowledgeable persons. Such systems are useful surveillance tools, especially when monitoring large areas that cannot be comprehensively patrolled by law enforcement or security personnel.
Yet it is often desirable to reliably obtain further details of incidents in a rapid and automated manner, particularly when the incident occurs in the presence of security personnel. Persons working in the fields of law enforcement, military activities and security operations are often engaged in patrol activities and other endeavors during which gun fire may occur without warning. Often, in performing routine duties such as monitoring of assigned areas, personnel travel over relatively large geographic areas while not in continuous communications with a command and control center. Consequently, if personnel have an encounter involving gunfire, communication of such an occurrence may not be immediate or timely. There is also a possibility that personnel present may become impaired as a result of the gunfire, rendering it less likely that the incident can be quickly reported. It is therefore desirable to provide a methodology that results in a more timely and informative notice of gunfire, whether originating from a firearm in the possession of the personnel, or from another person possessing a firearm in close proximity of the personnel, with reliable information about the nature and extent of the gunfire incident.